September 23rd, 2022

James Cameron’s 2009 Avatar has recently reclaimed the top spot on the worldwide box office list. Grossing $2.9 Million dollars, the revolutionary film sits above Avengers Endgame for the most profitable film of all time. At the time of its original release, Avatar shocked the world with its stunning and industry-innovated motion capture and effects. This cultural event didn’t accrue the profit that we see today. In fact, the original opening weekend box office of Avatar was just $77 Million on a $237 Million dollar budget. It was simply the word of mouth regarding the spectacle that pushed the film to the top spot.

To celebrate the upcoming release of the long-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, Disney decided to re-release the original for audiences to once again enter the world of Pandora. It is clear that even with it being 13 years since the original hit theaters, audiences are still itching to travel back to Pandora. Evidenced by the $30 million it made simply off the re-release, Avatar utilized modern technology to once again showcase how pinnacle experiencing the world of James Cameron is. 

Due to the original film being released in 2009, I was, unfortunately, unable to see this phenomenon in the theater. As an individual that is fascinated by the revolutionary special effects and fanatic about the theater experience, the release of this cult classic was necessary. While the theater was not completely full, the experience of viewing the film itself was superior to the audience experience. Usually, the audience experience heightens the quality of a film. However, since my intent was to visualize the film on a large scale, it was beneficial that the audience was unable to persuade the quality of the film. Overall, the re-release heightened my excitement for the sequel and strengthened my appreciation for the original. Now, all that is left is hoping that the long-awaited sequel can be a worthy addition to the world’s most profitable franchise.